Many of our students have sensory needs that are not being met. The good news is, we can adjust to meet them where they are. Here are a few of the items that are in my sensory toolkit, and how they are helpful:
- TACTILE Rainbow Foam: Kids love to knead, pull apart, and push together this magical foam that NEVER dries out. I usually store it in a sealed container, but I have teacher friends that have it out in the open and it’s just fine!
- TACTILE Kinetic sand: There’s something about sand that really gets kids calm. My students love to build mini sandcastles, knead the sand together, build ice cream cones with it, and use different types of tools to play with.
- OLFACTION Play dough/Slime: For extra effect, add a few drops of Lavender or Orange to your play dough or slime.
- AUDITORY Sound Machine: Experiment with the different sounds by asking students to close their eyes and see how each one feels in their body. Some might prefer the sound of the ocean, and others might like the nature sounds of the chirping birds.
- PROPRIOCEPTION Medicine balls provide students a chance to figure out where they are in space. Many students who have been through significant trauma are lacking developmentally in the part of the brain that senses where they are. This is why many of our students have a hard time sitting still, and often bounce around the room. Teaching students to lay on the ball belly down, and push into the ground can be very grounding. Make sure you have some visuals of ways students can use the balls!
Head over to my Products page to find out where I bought each of these, happy sensory shopping!
